Patrick Morgan Ritchie
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
My professional goal is to equip myself with the skills and tools to undertake work for and on behalf of Coast Salish peoples and other groups in the Northwest Coast region that will do justice and be a credit to their history and cultural traditions.
Why did you decide to study at UBC?
I have been inspired by the research, scholarship, and professionalism of UBC Faculty and PhD alumni, which I learn from and strive to incorporate into my own work. Much of the most important recent research (anthropological, archaeological, and legal) with and on Coast Salish peoples has been conducted by scholars affiliated with UBC. My research interests and values align closely with a number of UBC Anthropology Faculty, with whom I will hope to work closely.
What is it specifically, that your program offers, that attracted you?
I was attracted to UBC's Department of Anthropology by the possibility of working closely with my supervisors, Dr. Michael Blake and Bruce Granville Miller. Both Dr. Michael Blake and Dr. Bruce Granville Miller have sustained long-term collaborations with the Sts’ailes and many neighbouring Coast Salish communities. Both have served as expert witnesses in legal cases on behalf of Coast Salish Nations.
What was the best surprise about UBC or life in Vancouver?
The best surprise about being a student at UBC has been the financial, educational, and administrative support offered by department faculty and staff. It is very reassuring to know that you are surrounded by people that want you to succeed.
What aspect of your graduate program do you enjoy the most or are looking forward to with the greatest curiosity?
I'm excited about undertaking fieldwork and learning new methods to analyze collected data.
What do you like to do for fun or relaxation?
As a change from reading and writing I love to do archaeological fieldwork that involves canoeing and exploring. Non-work relaxation also involves being active outdoors.
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
Select a graduate supervisor that you are excited about learning from and who wants to help you achieve your career/life objectives.
Learn more about Patrick Morgan's research
My research focuses on the homeland of the Sts’ailes people in the mid-Harrison River Valley--100 km east of Vancouver’s urban centre--that contains a remarkably complete material record of human occupation over the past several millennia, and is also at the center of a precedent-setting aboriginal rights and title legal case (Sts’ailes v British Columbia and Canada). This and the community’s keen interest in actively undertaking archaeological research to explore their history and heritage makes it an ideal case study in which to address the Supreme Court’s three-fold test for establishing aboriginal title. The research I propose will assist in such efforts by examining the process and motivations through which the ancestors of the Sts’ailes people permanently and dramatically modified their physical surroundings in ways that would signal and communicate tenurial interests to both local and non-local groups.
